Art & Science Dentistry - Floating Dental Assistant/Patient Coordinator

Career Opportunities with BrookBeam Dental•Clifton Park, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Floating Dental Assistant/Patient Coordinator position at Art & Science Dentistry requires candidates to travel between multiple office locations in Altamont, Albany, and Clifton Park. This full-time role involves providing comprehensive support, encompassing both chair-side assistance to the dentist and administrative functions at the front desk. Key responsibilities include assisting the dentist during procedures, managing patient interactions from greeting to aftercare, preparing and maintaining operatories, handling lab cases, and coordinating with front desk personnel. Administratively, the role involves scheduling patients using dental management software, creating and maintaining patient records, performing financial tasks such as payment collection and insurance verification, and general office maintenance and communication duties.

Responsibilities

Assisting the dentist in practicing two- or four-handed dentistry (based on dentist preference), including delivering and retrieving instruments from the dentist, providing suction and retraction as instructed; also takes needed x-rays, keeps dentist informed as to appointment timing, and provides other assistance as required by the dentist during the appointment.
Reviewing and confirming medical history and current medications with patient, discovers and communicates changes and other relevant health information to dentist; ensures relevant records and X-rays are called up on the computer or otherwise present for review and use by the dentist; performs triage for the dentist.
Interacting effectively with patient: meets and greets patient, escorts patient to operatory, seats and prepares patient for appointment (provides bib, water, etc.) and prepares instrumentation needed by the dentist; at conclusion of visit, instructs patient regarding aftercare, facilitates referrals as needed, and escorts patient to front desk for future appointments and payment; makes appropriate follow-up calls to patient. Prepares for next day scheduled patient cases.
Preparing, maintaining, and breaking down operatory according to protocol before, during, and after patient visit including, but not limited to: proper stocking of room with required instruments and supplies, cleaning and maintaining operatory equipment, proper sterilization of instruments, and cleaning room thoroughly between patients. Contributes to the housekeeping and maintenance of the office.
Interacting effectively with lab personnel and/or performs lab functions such as entering lab cases into computer and ensuring lab work is ready for appointments; facilitates and/or performs instrument sterilization.
Interacting effectively with front desk personnel regarding appointment progress, patient scheduling concerns, paperwork needs; supply needs and other matters important to the practice.
Serving as the primary non-clinical business interface with the patient, performing a variety of tasks critical to the smooth functioning of the practice, including, but not limited to: meeting and greeting patients on the phone and in person; scheduling patients; arranging for and receiving patient payments; and providing patient support, education, and counseling on practice and insurance procedures and requirements.
Working within the dental management software to perform and confirm patient scheduling, filling doctors’ and hygienists’ schedules and managing wait lists; may use marketing/communication software to confirm patient appointments and perform other patient-relations functions; may also schedule patients with specialists.
Creating and maintaining patient records: inputs data to the dental management system, including, but not limited to, some or all of the following: medical histories, treatment plans, insurance information, patient photographs x-rays, and other critical data; creates, updates, and maintains patient paper charts with required forms and other key information.
Performing financial functions including, but not limited to, some or all of the following: receiving patient payments, developing and discussing payment plans; tallying cash and checks, charging patients out in dental management system; insurance verification; and mailing insurance claims and pre-estimates to insurance companies. May also make patient collections calls and interact with insurance carriers as needed.
Performing office maintenance and communications functions, which may include executing office opening and closing protocols; ordering supplies; taking and transmitting phone messages to employees; and working closely with providers and assistants to provide a safe, seamless and pleasant experience for patients.